The all new and expanded Bites is now open in the former Fuzzy Taco Shop beside the former Millhouse restaurant location at 1302 Statesboro Place Circle.
Bites is owned by Carman and Ramy Masry of Statesboro. They first opened Bites on Brampton in 2015 after they purchased the business from the original owner, who had closed the restaurant. The Brampton restaurant could only seat 28 people, which included 10 seats at the bar.
The new Bites can seat nearly 200 guests, including the deck and patio areas. They have completely renovated the interior of the restaurant, opening it up and branding it with the Bites theme. The kitchen is ten times larger than the original restaurant.
Known for their delicious handcrafted burgers made fresh every morning, chicken sandwiches, hand cut fries and beer battered onion rings made from scratch, along with their special sauces, Bites quickly became a Statesboro favorite. In fact, they have won the Statesboro Herald's "Best Burger in the Boro" for the past five years.
I really love the Bourbon grilled chicken. The fan favorite is the Fiesta Lime Chicken sandwich.
Bites is now open 11 to 9 Monday through Saturday and closed on Sunday. They are keeping the menu the same for now as the original Bites, with a few exceptions: they have added beef for tacos, a grilled fish option and a turkey burger.
Online ordering will be available soon as will alcohol. You can order by phone at 912-623-2030 and swing by their convenient pick up window on the side of the building.
From Jerusalem to Statesboro
Ramy grew up in East Jerusalem, Israel along with his brother Rodney Masry. They were looking for a great college in the United States that had a strong International Student program. This led them to Statesboro and Georgia Southern.
Rodney came first, then Ramy followed a few years later. Rodney graduated with a degree in business and computer science. Ramy's degree is in hotel and restaurant management.
When they came to Statesboro, they were surprised that Hookahs were not widely available here, as they are very common in Israel.
Rodney used his contacts back home and began importing Hookahs. They became very popular so they created a distribution company called Sahara Smoke to manage the Hookah sales.
Ramy met Carman, a native Georgian, in Statesboro. After they were married, they decided to open a local smoke shop, A Smokin Place in 2012. A Smokin Place is not your typical smoke shop; rather, it is a very boutique shop. The shop grew in popularity, keeping them busy.
Longing to follow his education and love for cooking, when the restaurant space came available in the same building as A Smoking Place, they purchased it in 2015.
Bad Business Deal Closed Bites Temporarily
Shortly after they opened Bites they ran into an unexpected snag. The former owner sold them the business and equipment. It turned out the previous owner had defaulted on his loan to the bank and they repossessed all of the equipment. The only thing left in the kitchen was the hood.
They initially took this as a sign that it was not meant to be. But their customers used social media to share both their love for Bites and concern that it was closed. One customer even set up a GoFundMe to help raise funds to purchase new equipment.
This touched them so much that they purchased all new equipment and reopened in the middle of 2016.
What has happened with the business and its popularity with loyal customers has been nothing short of amazing.
"By 11:30 am all the seats in the restaurant were full", said Ramy. "It was so disheartening to see people walk in and immediately turn and leave. We knew we had to expand, so we began looking."
The search by local realtor Ashley Padgett led them to the Fuzzy's building. Though it was for sale by a local bank, it took a lot of vision to see the possibilities with the building. They purchased it in January, 2021 and began renovations, most of which they did themselves.
The transformation is incredible and the food is even better. If you have never had a Bites burger, you're in for a real treat. Give them a try and support this wonderful Statesboro couple who keep expanding their dreams.
